Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So are you talking a standpipe overflow (Chift Pist) to flouts in growbeds Frank??

thanks

frank

please reread the description, Rupe
it's all there
or wait for the drawing

frank

I have Frank.... and have said I'm having difficulty understanding the location of the flouts... which are traditionally located at the bottom of a tank/growbed.... and there relation to Chift Pist....

I can conceptualise an arrangement that has the "flout chamber/cage set high in the tank... and delivering water to the growbeds....

But that then means that standpipe becomes secondary... merely an overflow.... surely...

Just couldn't see it as an adjunct to Chift Pist.... seems more an alternative to me....

However, it is probably a perfectly valid idea in it's own right.... and I will wait for your drawing...

I think he is actually talking about the flout being in the fish tank set to only drain down to a set level. so it would only be CHIFT below a certain point.

What I'm not managing to understand is how one would lift solids from the bottom up to a flout in a cage near the top of the tank. If the flout was actually in a tub with the solid lifter pipe from the bottom of the tank feeding the flout tub, I could see how it would work but not in a cage. Would need to make sure that solids don't tend to clog up in the flout box.

Don't think you can claim it as a "revolutionary idea".... or patent it though Frank....

Think the fellows at Rissy might have a few objections to that....

And the role of the "flout" in AP has been discussed here on the forum for several years...

Not many have picked it up though....

My puzzlement also TCL....

How do you drain down to a certain level.... where the Chift then takes over.... without the "Chift" draining all the time.....

Or the flout draining all the time.... and the "chift" standpipe remaining as a standby stanpipe overflow....

And as you say the solids lift problem....

I can only envisage that Frank aims to utilise the "suction" effect of the chift standpipe(s) to deliver the water/solids into the flout cage(s)... rather than overflowing down the standpipe to the growbeds....

Leaves me wondering then as to the benefit.... as opposed to the same continuous pump to chift pist arrangement.... with fast draining siphons.....

P.S.... while I don't have a problem with a slow drain growbed... within reason (mainly oxygenation).... I don't really see the benefit of a "fast fill".....

Steady fill by timer delivery.... and slow drain with a drying interval.... works well...

Slow fill (relative to drain)... fast drain.... continuous pump.... works well....

Fast fill, with a flout.... with a slow drain.... continuous pump..... having trouble figuring the balances and failure points.....

Like how do you stop the flout from continually being triggered by continuous pumping.... and how do you stop the growbeds from overfilling/flowing .... if they "slow drain"???

xcus the inglis

cage = box or tub

the cage idea was for Rupert's fish who are trained to keep the solids in suspension

you have not yet understood the concept and you already list all possible objections

there is something like an application patent
AFAIK nobody so far has thought of installing the flout in the fish tank
to obtain a variable level while still having CHIFT below this level
that would have made it eligible for patenting (been there, done that)
here is the flout patent:
http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDeta ... cale=en_BE


frank

Not trying to list "objections" Frank ... just trying to understand your proposal and grasp the benefits....

And yep... don't think anybody has used a flout in the fish tank... so maybe it is "patentable"...

Or it could just be posted for the benefit of aquaponics... and all aquaponicists....

Guess your fish wont stir up any solids into suspension like the rest of ours do....

Coz you're going to filter all the soldis out.... and stack the fish so closely that they can't move anyway.... huh .....

too late for patenting now: it's published
as a new year present to all of you

nope, I'm going to make sure my fish get the best water quality possible

frank

Glad to hear that Frank.....

Look forward to seeing how YOU do it... ... might pick up a trick or two...

The drain to a set level does sound familiar. Wasn't it how the the first barrelponics system worked.

AFAIK barrelponics doesn't use CHIFT PIST but a header tank and both the fish and the pump are in the sump

frank

Cayra talked of using a Flout in her Header/fish tank idea.

Then someone should tell that youtube guy. He had a valve set to drain half of the water out of the FT. Just thought it was something that was tried but no longer used. Like the drink bottle with a hole in it slowly filling until the weight opened a drain to the GB.